Thursday, December 5, 2013

Spotlight~ Olivia Black

OLIVIA BLACK

I
fell in love with romance novels years ago and read everything I could get my
hands on, from contemporary to paranormal. Thousands of books later, I'm still
an avid reader.

I started writing ménage romance a couple of years ago with
Siren Publishing under the name, Alicia White. Recently, I decided that I
wanted to branch out and with the support of my publisher, I started writing
Man Love under, Olivia Black.This is my first series,
Silver Bullet.

I
love waking up in the morning, getting my iced coffee and sitting down in front
of my laptop. Going on adventures with my characters, makes writing the best
job on the planet. My hope is that readers will find something positive in
every book I write and that they will enjoy the journey along the way. Happy
reading!

The Alpha’s Mate: Silver Bullet,
Book 1

Alpha Gideon Channing
isn’t just the leader of his pack in New Orleans. He’s also the owner of Silver
Bullet, a gay club that offers everything from a dance floor to a dungeon. The
club caters to all of its customers from shifters to vampires and even humans.

Josh Gordon is human.
He’s just graduated college and is ready to party. He knows that
paranormal’s exist. In fact, everyone does, it’s not a secret. After drinking
and dancing with his friends, large arms wrap around him and he’s instantly
blown away that a huge wolf shifter would be interested in him.

The two men spend a
wild night together, but when Josh wakes up, he’s scared of the awkward morning
after. He can’t understand why his heart hurts with each step he takes toward
the door. Before he can sneak out, Gideon stops him and convinces him that he
needs more than just one night.

Gideon
Channing scanned the crowd through the monitors, looking for any signs of
trouble. It was his job to make sure
that all the shifters, humans, and vampires mingled well together. No one had
ever been injured or forced to do anything since the opening of his place,
Silver Bullet, and as owner and pack Alpha, he planned on keeping it that way.
From his office, located above the club, Gideon couldn’t hear the pounding
music, but he could enjoy the view. Sitting back, Gideon watched gorgeous,
half-naked men gyrating across the dance floor rubbing against each other,
creating a sea of delicious, sweaty flesh.

His
pack of red wolves had changed so much over the years and he was content with
the way things were. Before his father became the Alpha, the wolves had been
ruled with an iron fist. Members of the pack were punished and put to death for
whatever infraction the tyrant of an Alpha considered to be disgraceful or
wrong. Families were broken a part, children slaughtered for stepping out of
line, and men and women were held to different standards.

He
could still remember the night when he came clean and told his father he
preferred men. He didn’t expect the man to accept him as easily as he had, with
open arms. That same night, his father
told him a heart breaking story about an uncle he never knew existed. The
man had been killed for his sexual preferences, murdered, before his father was
old enough and strong enough to step in and fight.Since then, his father felt guilty
over the loss of his older brother. A man that, from what Gideon heard, he
resembled in a lot of ways.

When
he took the reins from his father, the few families that remained went with his
parents to Europe. Now, his pack consisted of gay men, a haven for anyone that
needed a safe place in honor of the uncle he never knew. Some of the men he’d
grown up with and others found and joined them over the years. Their numbers
were growing and he always welcomed anyone who needed a place to call home.

The clubs success could be attributed to
the entire pack and their hard work. The Silver Bullet had become well known
for catering to everyone and their tastes whether conservative or wildly kinky.
The large profits not only helped them
all live a life of luxury, it also paid the way for the younger members to
further their education. College and traveling were important elements in a
young pup’s life and he didn’t want any mistakes closing this place down.

Ever
since the paranormal world had been exposed to human kind, years ago, they’d
lived in relatively peaceful conditions. There were rogues, but they were
policed closely by a group called, F.P.A. or Federal Paranormal Agency. The paranormals couldn’t be blamed for
everything though. Humans committed crimes and killed all the time. There were
radical groups also known as PARA-haters out there, but their numbers were
small and Gideon’s pack hadn’t had any problems with them for a while. Where
ever those trouble makers were, he was glad they weren’t in New Orleans,
harassing his pack.

After
human-kind got over the shock that shifters and vampires were real and not a
myth, most humans became curious about paranormals. Over time humans started
trusting that they weren’t in any danger. Gideon named the club, Silver Bullet,
as a little joke since many human’s believed that shifters or werewolves could
only be killed with silver. He wouldn’t confirm or deny that rumor.

Gideon’s
hope was that the Silver Bullet would bring everyone together, paranormals and
humans alike.

Having a club was also a good excuse to help
his pack find their mates. He’d been
searching for his own far too long in his opinion. At thirty-five, he was ready
to settle down with a good man by his side.

Scanning
each screen, he watched his employees for a few minutes before checking each
dark corner, the dance floors, and even the private rooms. Security and safety
would always be his top priority. Everyone coming inside his club knew that,
and all the players agreed to the discreet surveillance. It was one of the
reasons they were always busy. The other was due to the fact that they were the
hottest gay club in the state, and quite possibly the country.

The
Silver Bullet was a sprawling building almost a block long in the warehouse
district in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was a well-known hang out and attracted
lots of different clientele. Luckily, they could accommodate everyone’s tastes.
From quiet relaxing atmospheres to extreme forms of BDSM, the club had it all.

Gideon
made sure to do his homework before opening. He wanted this place to be the
go-to for paranormals and humans alike. The sprawling club was cut up into
different mini-clubs, some more private and exclusive than others. In fact, in
order to get into the dungeon, each member needed a background check and a
psych evaluation. If they passed, then they were given their own four digit
code.

He
loved New Orleans. It had it all. The big city, music, food, swamps, and open
spaces that allowed him to shift and run freely. To him, Louisiana wasn’t like
any other place in the world. There was a certain magic that hung in the thick
air and clung to a person.

After
a few minutes of watching the sexy men on the screen, he heard a knock before
the door opened. Gideon swiveled his chair around and grinned as his Beta, Sean
Griffin, strolled in. His best friend could easily be mistaken for his brother.
They looked similar in a lot of ways.

“Enjoying
the view I see. You should come down and see it up close and personal.” Sean
winked.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH OLIVIA BLACK

Q: Do you write full-time or part-time?

I write full time right now, but that will be changing very soon. I’m
going back to school to continue my education. I’ll always write, but my
schedule will be different.

Q: Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?

I get my daughter off to school, hit the gym, grab my iced coffee, and
then, its writing time. I spend the morning getting as many words in as I can.
Some days are better than others.

Q: Do you write every day?

Yes, I spend at least a couple of hours writing each day. On the
weekends, I usually spend the day with family, but in the evening, I open my
laptop.

Q: Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?

My daily goal is between three to five thousand words. Sometimes that
varies depending on how motivated I am. J

Q: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an
idea takes you?

For this series, Silver Bullet, I did a lot of plotting. I wanted to
make sure that each story was unique along with the characters. I also looked
through pictures of hunky men and used them as inspiration for the characters.
It makes describing them a lot easier.

Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?

The time varies and depends on how inspired I’m feelings. Some days, my
fingers glide across the keyboard and others, I stare at the screen.

Q: Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?

I move to a different WIP (work in progress). If I’m staring at the
screen and the words aren’t coming to me, I close the document, and open a
different book I’m working on.

Q: For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard
back books?

I have a nook and a full shelf of traditional paperback books. I’m a
huge reader and have been for many years. Reading is an important part of my
life.

Q: What books are you reading at present?

There are so many books. I read constantly…anything romance.

Q: What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of
self-publishing against being published or the other way around?

Honestly, I don’t know a lot about self-publishing to really weigh in.
I enjoy writing for Siren, they are a great company. The folks there are always
willing to work with me and they are very supportive. I write ménage under
Alicia White and now, I’m writing Man Love with a brand new pen name, Olivia
Black. I feel very lucky to be a part of the Siren family.

Q: Which social network worked best for you?

I’ve never been a big social networking person, but since writing, all
that changed. I love connecting with the readers and other writers. Facebook
has been the big one, but I’m also on Twitter.